Thumbs -- Published May 7, 2013

At their April 23 meeting, Stockton Unified trustees paid homage to Sara Cazares, a fellow board member who died April 20.

THUMBS DOWNAt their April 23 meeting, Stockton Unified trustees paid homage to Sara Cazares, a fellow board member who died April 20.

Among them was Sal Ramirez, who spoke movingly about her. "She's going to be missed," he said. "She was dedicated to her work. She wanted to make a difference for the schools."

One difference she made was to help bring calmness to the board following her election defeat of Bill Ross, a man whose self control deficiencies give loose cannons a bad name.

Ramirez would be wise to remember his own words.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but Bill Ross was always in it for Bill Ross. By contrast, Sara Cazares, refreshingly, was in it for the students and schools.

That's why a proposal by Ramirez and trustee Kathy Garcia is so disturbing. They actually suggested the board appoint Ross to replace Cazares.

Cazares' goal always was to move the district forward. Appointing Ross to her Area 6 chair would reverse that direction and be an affront to her memory.

THUMBS UPWhen was the last time a major American company apologized? It happens, of course, but only when forced. Remember "New Coke?"

Add retailing mainstay J.C. Penney to the list. In recent years, the company lost its way, trying to compete on price with Walmart and Sears, to compete on quality with Macy's and ending up doing neither.

The company brought in Ron Johnson, hoping the genius he showed reworking Target to sell cheap chic and Apple stores he designed would work at JCP. After 17 months of remodeling stores and rethinking pricing, Johnson couldn't reverse the five year sales decline.

Johnson's out and Mike Ullman, the man Johnson replaced is back. First thing: it's no longer jcp - a failed nod to younger shoppers - but jcpenney. The company is reverting back to more what it was before customers started staying away in droves.

THUMBS UPSan Joaquin County sheriff's deputies and Animal Control officers have captured or killed 10 stray dogs in south Stockton and French Camp believed responsible for the slaughter of 240 goats and several chickens in six attacks.

Some of the dogs were captured and some shot. It's not clear if more strays are out there waiting to attack livestock, but the fast action by law enforcement shows if there are more they won't get away with it for long.

THUMBS UPThe walls of Amazon.com's huge fulfillment center are going up quickly in Tracy because city officials say they knocked down barriers that could have stalled progress.

The 1 million-square-foot facility is to open in fall with about 1,000 employees. Hiring is already under way.

THUMBS UPYou've got to do more than swing through California as a professional athlete to later make a worker's compensation claim for career injuries.

That's what the 57-1 vote in the Assembly said to pros who've been cashing in on the state system designed to help Californians hurt on the job. Under AB1309 that now goes to the Senate, an athlete can still file a claim, but they have to had played at least 80 percent of their career with a California team.

THUMBS UPAnother makes-sense bill, SB501, passed the Senate on its way to the Assembly where the lower chamber will decide if parents should be able to remove their children's personal information from social networking sites.

Most parents, and we would hope Assembly members agree, probably think if they spot their kids under 18 posting Social Security numbers, bank account numbers and the like parents should have the right to intervene.

Social networking companies said the bill is unnecessary and burdensome. A gay rights group warned the bill could prevent people from accessing support services if they face family rejection.

Both arguments seem thin weighed against such information being available to stalkers, child molesters and identity thieves.